How GPRS VPI Services Kept a Train Platform Rehab Project on Track

GPRS’ sewer inspection services helped a train platform rehabilitation project in Norman, Oklahoma stay on track.

GPRS Project Manager Joe Meyer was tasked with inspecting storm sewer laterals and the mainline, all of which ran parallel to active train tracks. Each sewer lateral - pipes that carry stormwater from a home or business to the public main - ranged from 15 to 20 feet in length, while the mainline was approximately 350 feet long.

The client’s current as-builts indicated there were five sewer laterals connected to the mainline. They needed the precise location, and videos documenting the condition of each of these existing pipes to help them tie the lines into new roof drains.

Meyer utilized the ROVVER X SAT II Lateral Launch Camera to inspect the sewer lines and mainline. GPRS VPI Project Managers also use the ROVVER X SAT II for pre & post lateral installation inspections and cross bore inspections, which you can learn more about here.

All GPRS Project Managers are NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Companies) certified in pipeline (PACP), lateral (LACP), and manhole (MACP) assessments. GPRS NASSCO reports offer interactive insight into any defects found, with photographs and video of each pipe segment and the identified issues. Any defects found are ranked by severity, so you know what needs addressing first and exactly where you need to dig to complete your repairs.

Meyer’s investigation revealed a discrepancy between the client’s existing as-built documents and what was buried in the ground.

“They had listed 5 laterals and one mainline [on their current plans], but in reality, there was only four laterals and one mainline,” he explained.

Of bigger concern was what Meyer found in those four laterals.

“The mainline ran fine. I found all the features, everything was great,” he said. “The only problem was - and this was helpful for them - that all four laterals that were going to an underground pipe were blocked.”

Without the data Meyer collected, the client would have likely encountered serious sewer backups after completing their rehab project.

“They would have probably installed those new roof drains just to have them all back up because they did not know that those were all blocked,” Meyer explained. “That was the key piece of information that, while it was not good news, it was news that prevented them from going on and putting sod down and doing all this and then tearing it all back up just to fix it again.”

By identifying the blockages with his sewer inspection equipment, Meyer saved the client from the costly, and risky, large-scale excavation that would have likely needed to have occurred if the defects hadn’t been identified until after construction was completed.

And since the work was happening right along an active rail line, the information Meyer presented was especially important as the slightest disturbance to the soil could compromise the tracks and make it dangerous for trains to travel through the area.

“Excavation around rail systems requires a lot of permitting and can shut things down for quite some time,” Meyer said. “With the information I was able to give them, they could do targeted excavations, maybe even use hydrovac instead of having to get an excavator out there to do major dirt work.”

Once the client has cleared the blockages from the laterals, Meyer will return to complete his mapping of the storm system.

The data Meyer collected and will collect in the future will be at the client’s fingertips throughout the project lifecycle thank to SiteMap® (patent pending), GPRS’ cloud-based infrastructure management platform. With SiteMap, the client can reference their data 24/7 during every step of the renovation process. And it can be securely shared with members of the project team to ensure seamless communication and collaboration.

“The superintendent was most interested in those plot points on SiteMap so that they could perform targeted excavation, which was important to them because of the lines’ proximity to the rail system,” Meyer explained.

From skyscrapers to sewer lines, GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® to keep your projects on time, on budget, and safe.

What can we help you visualize?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What size sewer and storm pipes can GPRS inspect?

Our elite, NASSCO-certified VPI Project Managers have the capabilities to inspect pipes from 2” in diameter and up.

What deliverables does GPRS offer when conducting a sewer pipe inspection?

GPRS is proud to offer WinCan reporting to our Video Pipe Inspection clients. Maintaining sewers starts with understanding sewer condition, and WinCan allows GPRS Project Managers to collect detailed, NASSCO-compliant inspection data. GPRS Project Managers not only inspect the interior condition of sewer pipes, laterals, and manholes – they can also provide a map of their location. The GPRS Mapping & Modeling Department can provide detailed GPS overlays and CAD files. Our detailed WinCan/NASSCO reports contain screenshots of the interior condition of the pipe segments that we inspect, as well as a video file for further evaluation, documentation, and/or reference.